There’s a new website on Germans in the Eastern Cape. Or perhaps I should rather say that it is an old site that has been revamped and moved to a new address.

Two groups of German settlers came to the Eastern Cape (well, the part of it then called British Kaffraria) in 1858/59. The first to arrive were the military settlers of the British German Legion, who had been recruited to fight in the Crimean War, but the war ended before they could be deployed, so it was decided to send them to the Eastern Cape instead. The civilian settlers followed about a year or two later. The web site explains the background to the emigration of both groups, and gives quite detailed information on the military settlers.

Val’s grandmother, Emma le Sueur (formerly Greene, formerly Chelin, born Decker) descended from both groups. Her Decker ancestors were among the military settlers, being Carl August Decker, who married Mary Nevard Morton in Colchester just before leaving (the British Germaon Legion was trained at Colchester in Essex). The civilian settlers included the Falkenberg and Schultz families from the Ueckermark in Brandenberg. The Schultz family were of French Huguenot descent, and they are the ones we know most about in the earlier generations, but practically nothing since they arrived in South Africa.

We’ve also discovered other links, not direct ancestors, but people who married into other branches of the family. Another of the military settlers was Captain Carl Arthur von Lilienstein. He was a customs official in Holstein 1839-1848, then joined the British German Legion and led a party of 100 military settlers to Berlin in British Kaffraria in 1857. He was also a Count (Graf). His daughter Ida married Henry Green, brother of Val’s great great grandfather Frederick Thomas Green.

The Falkenberg and Schultz families came on the Wilhelmsburg, which sailed from Hamburg on 19 October 1858, and arrived in East London on 13 January 1859. According to the web site, 64 children and one adult died on the voyage. We know that one of the children who died was a member of the Schultz family, three-year-old Wilhelmine Caroline Schultz, because she was on the embarkation list at Hamburg, but not on the disembarkation list at East London. The web site does not give details of the children who travelled, just the parents, though perhaps one day it may be possible to include the complete passenger lists for both ends of the voyage.

A quite recent discovery we have made is that a Devantier family on board the Wilhelmsburg was related to the Schultz family. It is possible that several other families who emigrated may have been related as well. And ironically, though we have been able to trace the Schultz ancestry furthest back, to Calais and Flanders in the mid-17th century, once they reached South Africa they all vanished without trace, all, that is except for Justine (nicknamed Jessie), nine years old on the voyage out, who married Christian Falkenberg after his first wife died, though we haven’t been able to find a record of that marriage either. So if anyone sees anything possibly related to this Schultz family, please contact us!
Family Group Record for Martin Schultz

16 Responses

Steve, I’d like to enlist your help with a family history search – especially using your missiology knowledge.

My great-great grandmother was a lady by the name of Mary-Ann Gilpin. The family has it that she was the daughter of a British missionary, possibly the London Missionary Society. However, I do not know what his initials were. I would guess he would have arrived in SA somewhere between 1840 and 1865. Any suggestions? Do you have access to resources by which I could trace him?

Hi Steve – am currently researching and building a Sangerhaus family tree., which includes Roebert and
Schreiber – but the information so far is almost negligible.
Two of my Dad’s sisters married 2 Sonnenberger brothers, and they were related to the Greens in the East London and surrounding areas. I know of a Harry Green and a Sydney Green but know very little else on this.
Just thought it may provide a further clue to assist you.
Regrettably most of our oldies are deceased now so trying to
piece things together is proving to be quite a daunting task.
Kind regards,
Bev Botha, nee Sangerhaus

I am in the process of tracing the ancestors of Johann George Friedrich and Augustine Wilhelmine Justine Schultz, who arrived on board the Peter Godeffroy, from Hamburg. They came from Gross-Luckow in Prussia.

I am of the belief that at least some of the Schultz families which came to SA were related back in Prussia. This is what I am endeavoring to prove.

We know that some of the children from different Schultz families married in SA – I have a case in my tree where Emily Christina Schultz married Wilhelm Carl August Schultz in Queenstown.

Hi saw the post, and here is what I have to share on Schultz. My family line goes back to British Kaffaria, to one of 2 brothers, (still trying to narrow it down :)). Eduard Ottmar Schuch and Gustav Esau Schuch. Eduard was first married to Albertina Amalia Schultz originally from Germany. They had 5 kids, 2 girls, 3 boys. The boys are listed as Paul, Johann and Hermann. Gustav married Wilhelmine Wittstock.
Regards
Schuch

Hi guys my name is Ettienne Schultz, I have had a lot of problems tracing the Schultz family history. My father, grandfather and greatgrandfather was Stephanus Jacobus Schultz. If any of you have information that my be useful, I would appreciate it.

Hi, I am trying to trace my mothers family history – Tiltman or Tiltmann. I have a baptism certificate all in german from the Lutheran Church in Kwelegha East London?
It is all hand written and has been extremely difficult to read. However I am unable to find any records for the arrival of a german immigrant with the name Tiltman or Tiltmann. Can anyone point me in the right direction??

I am also doing research on the Tiltmann family.
I know that Karl and Chalotte were the original people to arrive with 4 of there children. Your mother could well be the daughter of one of the children.
The Lutheran church burnt down and all the records were destroyed.
I am trying to find my great great grandfathers records to piece together the family tree.
If you want to we could share info.
I live in Namibia.Windhoek and my name is Marcelle.

My name is Damon Schultz. I am trying to find out more about my families history in the Eastern Cape. My fathers name is Bernard Schultz and his brothers are Athol and Dennis. My grandfather was Ivan Schultz and he had 2 brothers (Albert and Earnest) and 2 sisters (Augusta and Phyllis). If anyone has info,they can contact me at damon_dshz@hotmail.com